Here comes the sun!
Recently, as I zipped up my coat and put on my gloves to head out for our morning walk, I thought of the Aesop’s Fable about The North Wind and the Sun. I have found myself this winter feeling closed up, cranky, and desperately praying for the sun to warm me up. I searched for this old fable and was struck at how much it spoke to me, my life, my practice, and the way I teach.
My new pup Squirt helps me embrace my sunny side.
If you know me, you know I love hard work. I tend to be aggressive with my physical self, and that definitely translates to most of the classes I lead. So yes, I am exhausted! I have been feeling this huge pull to slow down, take naps, stretch more, warm up, and just take it easy. As the universe does so beautifully, all of these things are beginning to align with perfect timing. The sun has come out and Spring is so close I can smell it. Thursday mornings at the blue are now Deep Stretch (this Warrior needs some serious hip openers), and I have managed to put two massages on my calendar in the next few weeks. While I know my windy side won’t settle completely, I am embracing my sunny side. I am seeking power in gentleness. Aaaaahh!!!! Feels good already.
The North Wind and the Sun
The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was great power in gentleness.
“We shall have a contest,” said the Sun.
Far below, a man traveled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.
“As a test of strength,” said the Sun, “let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man.”
“It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat,” bragged the Wind.
The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.
Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.
The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.
Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.
“How did you do that?” said the Wind.
“It was easy,” said the Sun, “I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way.”
